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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sunday Dinner

No matter how busy the week gets, one thing I usually keep routine, is cooking on Sunday. Sunday is not a night for leftovers, or frozen pizza, or a Sandra Lee recipe. No, it is a night where the meal and wine are planned ahead, and depending on my mood, a homemade dessert is also made.

This past Sunday, we decided to try a recipe my friend Renee has been raving about. I love pork tenderloin, and it seems I haven't made it nearly enough lately. So, when I finished making homemade chocolate chip cookies, I whipped up the simple 3 ingredient marinade. Threw the pork and marinade in a large ziplock freezer bag and headed out to run errands.

Narrowly missing the quick monsoon that hit the valley on the way home, we waited out the rain with a glass of red, and a good book . Mmm...love Sunday afternoons as much as Sunday dinners!

After the storm hoopla had died down, we started the grill. While the pork and veggies were cooking, I whipped up the mustard sauce. (And, if you must know, had another glass of red. ;)

Scott carried in the contents from the grill, just as I was finishing my last sip. Perfect timing. Oh, and look, perfect pork!

I finished mashing the potatoes, while Scott sliced the pork. This was the juiciest tenderloin I've ever had. Kudos to the grill master.

With the addition of the mustard sauce...

Now, I must say, when I have my expectations high after lots of great reviews, whether it's movies, recipes, restaurants, or wine,I am sometimes disappointed. I was wondering if this would really live up to the hype.

The verdict...

Spectacular! We both thought this dish was worthy of being in our top 3 pork tenderloin recipes. It was a cinch to prepare, perfect for entertaining or summer BBQ's.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH MUSTARD SAUCE (? original source?)

1 (2-3 lb) pork tenderloin

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. bourbon

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Place the pork in a glass or pyrex dish. (I put in a large ziplock.) Combine the soy, bourbon, and brown sugar and pour over pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. Return to room temperature and place on a rack in a shallow pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or grill, basting frequently with the marinade. Slice and serve with the mustard sauce.

4 comments:

Oh my, that sounds soooo good. I really like your Sunday dinner thing, too. I think it'd be great if we could get into that habit sometime. Anyway, I'm putting a star on this in my reader because I think we'll want to try it!

I'm a fan of Sunday dinners as well. When I was right out of college, my friends and I would take turns making Sunday dinner - probably the only home cooked meal of the week!

This pork tenderloin looks and sounds perfect. Anything with a little mustard is tops in my books.

Oh, and glad to hear you're visiting SD. I'm stuck in DC right now and miss it so much! Do you have any specific types of cuisine or atmosphere you're looking for? sushi/italian/fancy schmancy/hole in the wall? If not, I can just give you some general recommendations!